Yankees acquire 7-year veteran after rough Athletics exit: Report

SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA – JUNE 7: Seth Brown #15 of the Athletics catches a fly ball in the top of the ninth inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Sutter Health Park on June 7, 2025 in Sacramento, California. (Photo by Justine Willard/Athletics/Getty Images)

...

By Jackson Roberts

Contributing Sports Writer

Newsweek is a Trust Project member

See more of our trusted coverage when you search.Prefer Newsweek on Googleto see more of our trusted coverage when you search.

It wasn't the left-handed outfield bat New York Yankees fans were hoping to acquire, but Seth Brown is reportedly headed East to join the Bronx Bombers.

According to Aram Leighton of Just Baseball, the Yankees and Brown, the seven-year veteran outfielder/first baseman, agreed to a minor-league deal on Monday. Brown, who has spent his entire major league career as a member of the Athletics, will compete for a bench spot in spring training after a brutal offensive drop-off over the past two seasons.

Early on in his time with the then-Oakland A's, Brown was a fairly reliable platoon piece. In 2021 and 2022, he posted an OPS+ of 114, hit 45 home runs, and racked up 3.4 bWAR in 261 games.

Read More on MLB

SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA - JUNE 7: Seth Brown #15 of the Athletics catches a fly ball in the top of the ninth inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Sutter Health Park on June 7, 2025 in Sacramento, California. (Photo by Justine Willard/Athletics/Getty Images)

...

Brown's OPS+ then dropped to 93 in 113 games in 2023, 91 in 124 games the following season, and 60 in 38 games last year. The A's released him in June shortly after he went on the injured list with tennis elbow, and though he signed a minor-league deal with the Arizona Diamondbacks in July he never wound up making it back to the majors and was released again in August.

Entering his age-33 season, Brown will be looking to prove he still belongs in the majors, even if it's in a fairly limited role. The Yankees are a good team to land with at the moment, as their ballpark rewards lefties with extra home runs, and they have some mild uncertainty both at first base and in the outfield.

New York's projected outfield depth chart as of Monday included Aaron Judge, Trent Grisham, Jasson Domínguez, and top prospect Spencer Jones. Fans are still hoping for Cody Bellinger to re-sign with the Bronx Bombers, but talks clearly hit a standstill at some point in the past two weeks.

Brown won't move the needle much with the fan base for now, but if he can recapture some of his magic from four to five years ago in a hitter-friendly environment, he'll prove to be worth the league minimum and then some.